Chapter 2
TWO
A swat lands on my bottom, and I bite down on his shirt.
“I told you not to look. I don’t want you hurting your eyes,” Chale scolds me. “You have not adjusted to our planet yet, and I do not want you to be injured more than you already are.”
“Sorry, Chale,” I whisper.
“Just be a good girl for me and keep your head in my chest until we get to the doctor,” he reminds me. “If you are a good girl, you may even get a little surprise.”
“Surprise?” I ask and pull my head back.
He makes a tsking sound, and I push my bottom lip out.
“I’m not looking. My eyes are closed,” I mumble.
“I know, but keep your head burrowed in my chest. The light can burn through your skin and still hurt your eyes,” he gently replies.
I sigh, and he guides my head back into his chest. I just want to look around and see what’s going on. Where exactly are we?
“The doctor is going to meet us at my home to take a look at you and examine your leg,” Chale explains. “I want you to be a good girl when he comes and not fight him. If you fight him, I will have to spank you or put you in time-out.”
“I’m not a little girl,” I point out.
“You are my Little girl, and you better get used to it. I know you’re not a pet.”
I open my mouth, but Chale pats my back in a rhythmic motion, putting me almost in a trance.
“Yamal is going to do a full body check on you to make sure that you are healthy and don’t need any medical treatment. If everything is okay when he finishes cleaning your leg, we can spend some time together,” he says.
“I’m healthy,” I reply. “Headmistress Helena checked me over the other day and said everything looked okay.”
“We Venkorians are far more advanced than you humans. I want to make sure you are healthy. These examinations will be very frequent; I want to make sure you are always healthy.” He runs his hand through my hair. “There is no arguing with me. This is happening whether you like it or not.”
“No.” I push against his chest. “I don’t want this. I don’t have to do this.”
He can’t force me to be checked over by a random alien. For all I know, they could be plotting to kill me. I am not going to die.
“Leah, you are mine. I paid for you, and I get to do what I want with you,” Chale informs me.
I shake my head and point to myself. It feels a little ridiculous to do this with my eyes closed, but I don’t want them to hurt.
“I am my own person. You may have bought me, but I am in charge of myself, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” I declare.
It’s still surreal that he bought me. Bought me for what?
He chuckles, and my mouth falls open. He can’t seriously be laughing at me, can he?
“You are so cute,” he mumbles and starts walking. “Raydn said his girl was cute, but you are far cuter than she is.”
“Adryn? Luna?” I perk up and look in what I believe is his direction.
“Adryn. That is his girl.”
“How is she? Is she alive? Okay?” I fire off questions. “Can I see her? Is he treating her well?”
“Relax, Leah,” he gently says.
I shake my head. “I can’t relax when my friend has been here for a long time, and I don’t know how she is doing. No one on the space station knows whether they are alive or not.”
“You can open your eyes now,” he tells me.
I crack my eyes open, testing whether the light is going to hurt me. When they don’t, I open them fully and look at Chale.
“Is she okay? Has he been treating her well?” I ask. “Tell me so I don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
Lie. I will always worry about her and every other girl who comes to Venkoria. We have to stick together since we are the minority here.
“She is okay. Rayden takes good care of her, and she has everything she has ever wanted... within reason.” He mumbles the last part. “He takes good care of her. Trust me on that.”
“I want to see her,” I demand.
He shakes his head. “You cannot see her right now.”
“Why not?” I fold my arms over my chest.
Chale has stopped walking, and he is standing in the middle of the hallway with me in his arms.
“Because I said so. You will not be meeting anyone anytime soon since you just came to me,” he replies.
“I demand to see her right now. I need to see that she is okay. I won’t stop until you allow me to see her.” I raise my voice.
Chale grips my cheeks with his right hand and brings my face closer to his. I suck in a breath as we lock eyes with each other.
“I said no, and that is the end of the discussion,” he whispers sternly. “You will only get to see her when I deem it is okay.”
“Why?” I ask, hurt.
“Because you just came to me, and you have to adjust to being mine. I have rules that you do not know yet. Until you can obey me, you will not see any of them. Your friends did the exact same thing, so it is not only you,” Chale explains.
“This happens to every pet who comes to Venkoria. I am not picking on you.”
“But—”
“No. You will not see her until I say it is okay. I am in charge of you. You may not understand right now, but it will all make sense in time,” he says. “I want you to get used to being around me before we meet anyone else. I won’t keep you away from them forever, just for a short amount of time.”
“How long?” I ask.
“I don’t know. It could be a couple of weeks, or it could be a couple of months. I will let you know when, though.” He kisses my forehead.
He guides my head back into his chest and starts walking again.
“We are going to take the elevator up to my apartment, where Yamal will check over you,” he gently explains. “Remember to be a good girl.”
I stay silent as we ride up the elevator and he opens the door to the apartment. The room is spacious with nothing on the white walls and a couch in the middle of the room.
“This is the living room. Next to it is the kitchen. You are not allowed to touch anything in the kitchen.” He gives me a pointed look. “And that door is where my room is.”
“Where am I sleeping?” I ask, looking around.
“Right here.” He pats the cage I’ve been desperately trying not to look at.
It’s tall enough to fit me sitting, the slots just enough for me to stick my fingers out. He wants me in there to sleep?
I shake my head. “No.”
I don’t want to be trapped in another cage.
“It is not up for discussion,” he states. “You will stay in this kennel for a couple of nights or longer if I want. Raydn has one for Adryn and she lies it. You will be taken care of, and you won’t be locked in there all the time. Just at night or when you’re being punished.”
“Have you never heard of not making someone sleep where they are punished?” I fold my arms over my chest. “It’s bad for the person’s mental health.”
He hums and looks at the cage. “I have not, but that can be fixed. I will get something else for you to be punished with. Maybe we can have a designated corner for time-out.”
“I’m not a bad girl,” I growl.
Chale smiles as he cocks his head to the side. “So cute.”
“I’m not cute,” I grumble.
Chale runs his hand through my hair. “But you are. You are so cute when you think you aren’t going to be naughty.”
I turn my body and look away from him.
“You are going to sit here while I go grab a couple of things from my room. Do not stand on your feet. I don’t want you falling. You aren’t used to standing on our planet.” He gently sets me on the ground.
My body still feels heavy. Shivers start making their way through my body as Chale takes a step away from me. Why am I so cold all of a sudden?
“I’ll be right back.” He smiles down at me. “Be a good girl and stay there.”
He walks off, leaving me alone in the big living room. I attempt to crawl toward the window, but everything feels heavy. Sighing, I lie on the ground and curl up into a ball, trying to keep myself warm. Why is it so cold here? I’ve never been this chilly in my life.
“Ch-chale,” I whisper as I look in the direction he walked in.
“What did you just call me?” he shouts from another room.
My whole body shakes. I’m freezing cold.
“Chale,” I mumble, closing my eyes.
“I’m not Chale to you.” His voice sounds closer this time, but I keep my eyes closed. “What’s wrong?”
I continue to shiver as I crack my eyes open. Chale rushes toward me, falling to his knees and looking over my body.
“Why are you shaking so much? Are you sick?” he asks.
“C-cold.” My teeth chatter as I say the word.
He picks me up and holds my body close to his, running his hand up and down my back.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers.
But I continue to shake into his body, even though the warmth from his body is seeping into mine.
“You’re going to be okay,” he gently says as he walks somewhere. “Daddy is going to wrap a blanket around you and keep you close to me.”
I hold onto his shirt as my body relaxes somewhat, but I can still feel the chill. It’s deep down inside of me, something I can’t shake.
“Daddy is going to take care of you.” He rocks me gently in his arms.
Why does he keep referring himself as Daddy? Is that actually his name and not Chale? But everyone else was calling him Chale.
“Chale, I’m here,” someone announces from within the apartment.
“In my room!” Chale responds.
Who is it?
“Yamal,” Chale says and turns.
Another large male stands in the doorway, and it clicks when I see the bag in his hand. He’s the doctor who is going to check over me.
“What is wrong with her?” he asks as he sets his bag on the bed. “Place her down, and I’ll take a look at her.”
“She is cold when she is not near me,” he replies. “I will hold her until she warms up. She is still shaking even though she’s in my arms. Raydn didn’t mention any of this when I talked to him.”
This time, I don’t know if it’s from the cold or nerves that another man is about to examine me.
“I don’t want this,” I mumble into his chest.
“We have talked about this. You are getting checked over by Yamal to make sure you are healthy,” Chale says. “Daddy told you he is going to take care of you extremely well, and that means regular appointments with Yamal so we know when you get sick.”
“Cha—”
“Daddy,” he interrupts me. “You are to call me Daddy and nothing else.”